Advice/Comments/Opinions buying Levo SL or FF

[Beaker]

Ok, so I managed to get a demo of both bikes over the past 2 days, here are my thoughts.

Day 1 - Levo SL

• Carbon comp model in medium size
• Riding with 2 friends not on ebikes
• Trail centre (7 stanes Glentress in Scotland)
• Conditions: very wet, muddy, slippy, tree roots etc

I used a mixture of eco, trail and turbo modes on climbs, I found the power delivery to be very natural and the bike had plenty of power (one of my worries). Riding with non bike buddies I was always way out in front, highly unusual for me. On the downhill I settled into the bike really quickly and found it easy to manoeuvre and to pop off features and jumps.Despite the conditions I got a lot of confidence from the bike. Weirdly, when I first sat on it I felt like I was sitting on it, not in it but this was probably due to the setup, hire bike n all.


Day 2 - Levo 2020 (full fat)

• Base model in medium size
• Riding on my own
• Trail centre (7 stanes Glentress in Scotland)
• Conditions: very wet, muddy, slippy, tree roots etc

Climbing wise this thing is a beast, an absolute unit of a bike. I was flying up hills and went up some tech stuff that I normally don’t make, point and go. If I’d been riding with friends on their analogue bikes I’d have been bored waiting on them today. I bumped into other chaps on ebikes today, one on an SL and the other on a FF, they were riding together just fine. Downhill on the FF was quite an experience, I found that I was wrestling with the bike to try and get it to pop and jump, in the end I just pointed straight and went fast lol. I found it harder to manoeuvre than the SL and a lot more work on jumps.

Thrown into the mix is where I live, in a flat/apartment up 3 flights of stairs. I tried carrying and walking with both bikes and I really don’t think I could get the FF levo up my stairs.

In conclusion, weight is a major factor for me because of where I live but I also thought the SL was livelier on the downhill. I hope this is useful for someone else trying to decide (PS I was also considering a YT decoy but that’s out the picture due to weight).

I now need to decide between the carbon comp and an alloy comp (with some weight reduction here and there)

 

[ImSundee]

I think this is what alot find, the SL is playful, the FF is a tank - point and plow.

 

[MrBrownstone]

Power wins haha especially if you live where 20mph is the cutoff

 

[Canmore TLCC 29]

Ok, so I managed to get a demo of both bikes over the past 2 days, here are my thoughts.

Day 1 - Levo SL

• Carbon comp model in medium size
• Riding with 2 friends not on ebikes
• Trail centre (7 stanes Glentress in Scotland)
• Conditions: very wet, muddy, slippy, tree roots etc

I used a mixture of eco, trail and turbo modes on climbs, I found the power delivery to be very natural and the bike had plenty of power (one of my worries). Riding with non bike buddies I was always way out in front, highly unusual for me. On the downhill I settled into the bike really quickly and found it easy to manoeuvre and to pop off features and jumps.Despite the conditions I got a lot of confidence from the bike. Weirdly, when I first sat on it I felt like I was sitting on it, not in it but this was probably due to the setup, hire bike n all.


Day 2 - Levo 2020 (full fat)

• Base model in medium size
• Riding on my own
• Trail centre (7 stanes Glentress in Scotland)
• Conditions: very wet, muddy, slippy, tree roots etc

Climbing wise this thing is a beast, an absolute unit of a bike. I was flying up hills and went up some tech stuff that I normally don’t make, point and go. If I’d been riding with friends on their analogue bikes I’d have been bored waiting on them today. I bumped into other chaps on ebikes today, one on an SL and the other on a FF, they were riding together just fine. Downhill on the FF was quite an experience, I found that I was wrestling with the bike to try and get it to pop and jump, in the end I just pointed straight and went fast lol. I found it harder to manoeuvre than the SL and a lot more work on jumps.

Thrown into the mix is where I live, in a flat/apartment up 3 flights of stairs. I tried carrying and walking with both bikes and I really don’t think I could get the FF levo up my stairs.

In conclusion, weight is a major factor for me because of where I live but I also thought the SL was livelier on the downhill. I hope this is useful for someone else trying to decide (PS I was also considering a YT decoy but that’s out the picture due to weight).

I now need to decide between the carbon comp and an alloy comp (with some weight reduction here and there)

Go for the Carbon if you have the cash. You can’t make a bad decision here. I was out on my road bike recently and was surprised how fit I was after riding my FF comp carbon for the past month. There is something to be said for the raw speed of a road bike. Trail riding and road biking both have there place. I call my Turbo Levo the White Rabbit because it has broadened my perception of reality, opening up all of the unexplored terrain around my home in the Canadian Rockies. I’m 65 this month and life is good!